Thiago Santos vs. Elias Theodorou
The fight was the first loss for Elias Theodorou. The first round began. Theodorou lands a body kick. Santos blocks a high kick. Theodorou misses another. Lands another blocked one, misses another. Tries a wheel kick. Those kicks'll gas you out quick. 4:00. Theodorou misses a high kick, eats a hard inside kick, lands one. Theodorou's leg is already welted. Theodorou lands a body kick. Checks a leg kick. Lands one himself. Keeps thinking about pushing off that fence with the foot. Tries a jumping kick. 3:00. Santos seems confused. Santos lands a leg kick. Theodorou feints the Superman punch landing a leg kick, lands a body kick, tries a jumping high kick. His standup is much improved. Theodorou lands a body kick and a leg kick, Santos shakes his head and eats a body kick. 2:00. Santos tries a capoeira kick, eats a body kick. Theodorou tries a nice jumping switch kick to the body. Theodorou lands an inside kick, tries a wheel kick. Santos lands a nice spinning wheel kick. And a counter right. 1:00 as he blocks a high kick. Theodorou briefly drops him with a front kick to the body, eats a hard leg kick. Santos tries a crazy spinning kick, lands a leg kick. 35. Theodorou lands a body kick, clinch. They break, 15. R1 ends, 10-9 Theodorou. "He's already going to his spinning shit, you've already forced him out of his comfort zone." R2 began. Elias lands a body kick. Santos lands a leg kick. Theodorou replies. Santos lands an inside kick, eats a body kick, knees the body, lands a nice left elbow, defends a double, is warned for a fence grab. Elias gets the takedown anyway, hugs the legs. Santos stands to the clinch eating a knee. 4:00. Santos sprawls a single. Lands five or six nice left elbows under as they clinch. 3:00. Santos knees the body, defends a single. Santos knees the body, defends a single again, lands a big body shot. Santos lands two right elbows under. Ref gives a final warning for action. Breaks 'em up. 2:00. Elias lands a body kick, eats a counter right. Santos stuffs a single, knees the body, rights to the body inside, knees the body, again, five left elbows under and stuffs a single. Clinch. Elias works another single, eats a left under. Four left elbows. 1:00. They break. Elias blocks a spinning back kick. Santos thinking double-leg himself. Stuffed. Clinch, Elias thinking guillotine standing. 35. Santos trying a trip, can't get it. He gets it. Crowd cheers. Santos gets the back. Knees the body hard, Elias turns working for a single, 15, he gets it! He tries a double fro the waist cinch as Santos stands, gets it right after the bell to end R2. 10-9 Santos still in my opinion... "It's one to one," they tell Santos, "you hurt him, he's more tired than you are, don't get taken down because of the guillotine. Use that front kick we trained. When he puts his hand down you come up with the cross." R3 began. Santos tries a wheel kick, lands a good little combo, they clinch. Elias works a single. Working hard. Santos lands a left elbow. Another. "Don't hold gentlemen, work," the ref warns. Elias works a single, 4:00. Goes for a double, gets final warning for action. Ref breaks 'em up. Santos stuffs a single, lands a left but eats a knee. Elias presses hard for a single. A few rights under from Santos. Elias is cut somewhere. A few left elbows under, 3:00. Ref breaks 'em up, nope calls time to check the cut. Bad cut. It was a punch. They continue, same position. Elias knees the body. Santos knees the body hard. Elias works a desperate single. Santos with hard lefts under, knees the body as they stand. Clinch. Santos knees the body hard. Breaks with a left, knees the body, a left elbow, right elbow, stuffs a single, lands a hard body kick hurting him, knees the body, right elbow, 2:00. Elias works a desperate double. Santos with two left elbows. Clinch. Elias works a single. Almost got it but Santos reversed and stood to the clinch, knees the body hard and again. Ugh. Ow. Another hard knee. 1:00. Elias works a single, eats a knee to the body, two left elbows. Boos. Elias breaks and he grabs his eye, says it was an eyepoke, breathing hard visibly. Elias says he can see, they ontinue. Santos easily sprawls a single Santos knees the body. Lands a body kick. 15. Defends a single. Clinch. R3 ends, 10-9 Santos. 29-28 Santos clearly in my opinion, good rally! Cut over Elias' right eye. Tough dude. Fucking nasty close-up of the cut. 29-28, 29-27 twice for Santos, fuck yeah, the right decision.